Somerville relies on its fantastic animations and settings to tell a story of a father trying to reunite with his family. But without important story fundamentals such as exposition, you have no idea what is going on. Coupled with the fact that the adventure consists of simply solving puzzles while walking around, it is hard to immerse yourself in the story or even care about what will happen. Solving puzzles can also be difficult because you are expected to fumble around and discover what can be interacted with. There's no guidance or assistance, which leads to frustration when you have no idea what to do next. There's a good attempt at telling a story here, but it's difficult to find yourself wanting to reach the end.
INSPIRE could have been great fun but it holds itself back in many ways. Despite having a nice soundtrack, beautiful environments, and a decent shooting experience, the many flaws drag the title down. It's too easy to get lost, difficult navigation feels like a deliberate design choice, and combat ends up being frustrating. It doesn't help that the non-existent story is confusing and is quickly thrown out the window. There's a lot of potential INSPIRE squanders, which is a shame given the promising ideas.
Bilkins’ Folly is a challenging puzzle adventure game that lets you spend hours of time on it. It’s anything but simple and unless you are good at puzzles, be prepared for the frustration of having few clues.
Knight Crawlers offers several ways to customise your rogue-lite experience. You can change your character's outfit, decide on your combat approach, and how you approach a dungeon run. Rather than throwing large numbers of enemies at you and seeing what happens, the gameplay allows you to choose what you want to do. Unfortunately, Knight Crawlers is still held back by several issues. Melee combat isn't effective compared to ranged combat, and the wobbly character's movement can work against you. There are also a good number of bugs that can interfere with your experience, forcing you to restart otherwise-successful runs. The potential of Knight Crawlers is there, but some areas haven't received the refinement that could have helped demonstrate said potential.
Moviehouse – The Film Studio Tycoon is an ambitious attempt at showing the ups and downs of the film industry. You gradually work your way up the ladder and producing great movies feels good. It's a pity the game suffers from some issues that weren't foreseen or accounted for. The charm of creating a good movie disappears when you realise you can make more money from buying out other studios. As your studio gets bigger and you hire more people, the user interface struggles to keep track of the relevant details. It's a fun game at the start, though the long time it takes to produce movies can wear you down. For a simulator that passes some time, this will be great, but it does need some more refining to be a good management experience.
Mato Anomalies has solid RPG fundamentals that can create an enjoyable experience in the beginning. Combat is fun to engage with, the world looks interesting, and the story has an intense start. Unfortunately, the game drags itself down with a narrative that never figures out what it wants to be, throwing in multiple themes which make little sense collectively. Combat requires increasingly large amounts of time investment, which can make you sick of the grind. It's hard to find yourself continuing to the end, and the game doesn't make much sense even if you do finish it. If you are looking for an RPG that requires grinding and you don't mind the repetition, you might enjoy Mato Anomalies. For those looking for a strong narrative that leaves you impressed, look elsewhere.
Kao the Kangaroo is a nice 3D platformer for getting your feet wet. The gameplay from previous entries is the same and it is easy for beginners to pick up. The graphics look good and keeping it simple fits with the game’s theme. Unfortunately, the game feels too short, ending just as it picks up momentum. Collectibles feel like unnecessary game padding, the story feels like an excuse plot, and the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. This may satisfy fans who were looking forward to Kao the Kangaroo’s return, but there isn’t much for players who were hoping for a great, modern 3D platformer.
Fall of Porcupine tells a powerful story about the struggles of working as a medical professional. It shows the good and the bad halves without minimising their impact on people. Unfortunately, most of this powerful story happens in the middle, between an uncertain introduction and a rushed ending. The introduction is filled with several ideas that get in the way of the story's most powerful moments. The ending tries to resolve a great mystery but doesn't succeed at its goal. It's a shame that the game interferes with its most powerful asset, as the story isn't able to shine or allow for good character growth in the way it could have.
Red Tape offers a comedic look at a fallen angel's trip through a corporate version of Hell. It's filled with silly characters and outside-the-box solutions that will have you chuckling as you navigate the game. Unfortunately, the story is weak and it ends hastily, filling in the remaining questions once you're done. Other than fetch quest puzzles, there is little variety in the gameplay. Any attempts at variation through jumping activities feel out of place. If you are looking for a psychological horror experience that gets you thinking, you're better served looking elsewhere. But if you want a funny game that lasts about an hour, Red Tape will do the job well.
Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles lets your imagination come alive as you build a staggering empire in every sense of the word. But because it’s a world without mistakes, there’s no challenge or pressure.
Atlas Wept does a great job at creating a 2D retro RPG that's accessible to beginners. Unfortunately, some of its strengths aren't enough to overshadow its weaknesses. The story can often be unclear with not enough explanation. It's too easy to get bogged down by combat, which weakens the overall charm. But what Atlas Wept does well is think outside the box, giving you a decent RPG experience to jump into.
Life of Delta doesn’t overstay its welcome and has nice puzzle variety, but you are often wondering what your goal is.
Exoprimal makes a fantastic first impression as you enter the world of futuristic dinosaur combat. You have an intriguing mystery, cool exosuits, and several varieties of dinosaurs to fight. Unfortunately, the gameplay quickly becomes stale as you realise its repetitive nature. If you want to enjoy the mystery, you must play a large number of games. Only the most hardcore PvP players will want to continue, as others may tire of the lack of variety. As interesting as the concept is, Exoprimal doesn't take full advantage of the premise, instead providing a decent multiplayer experience for a few hours.
Kabaret has ambition, but that ambition gets in its own way. It asks tough questions and never shies away from the realities of life. Different perspectives are properly explored which provides depth for each viewpoint. It deftly weaves Southeast Asian culture into the story and it immerses you in the culture. But the story becomes too complicated and loses its best messages towards the end. The lack of stakes for the mini-games also makes them less appealing. Preparing tea is unnecessarily hard and vague, becoming a frustrating activity instead of a relaxing one. It's a good visual novel with stories that don't shy away from difficult content, but one you're unlikely to revisit often because it feels like a lot of work.
Mahokenshi is a fun deck-building tactics game that prioritises smart gameplay. Coming up with winning strategies and experimenting on the battlefield is enjoyable, and finding card synergies gives you a real feeling of accomplishment. Great care was taken with the visuals and audio to deliver an experience that really immerses you in the welfare of the Celestial Islands. Unfortunately, the characters aren't properly balanced and there's a clear favourite in terms of strategy, with not enough in-built incentives to explore the other characters. But if you are alright with a short adventure and are willing to complete every objective you see, you will have a good time with Mahokenshi while it lasts.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed succeeds when it suits you up as a Ghostbuster for the first time. You relish the thrill of capturing your first ghost and learning how to hunt them down. Playing as a ghost is equally fun, learning how to haunt and scare everyone out of the building. Unfortunately, playing this game by yourself will quickly become boring, as the single-player experience grows dull quickly. With friends or other players, the true fun of the game comes out. But even that will be short-lived if played too often, as a lack of variety and objectives to achieve will dull the fun.
Untamed Tactics introduces several elements of strategy that are fun to use in combat. Working with a few allies to defeat large numbers of enemies means taking advantage of your environment. Matching damage types, pushing enemies into each other, and experimenting with character classes is a lot of fun. It's a pity the combat holds itself back with a number of issues that waste your time, with moves that don't execute correctly or enemies who unintentionally stall ruin strategies and drag out the combat. It's a shame because the game can't fully rise above these issues, ultimately creating a simply decent strategy experience.
The Last Oricru is a fun storytelling experience told through the eyes of the Souls-like genre. It's great to see everyone working for their own ends, and not being able to identify who is good and bad from the start. Focusing purely on what you think is most advantageous creates a story that fits your own personality well. But everything else is a regular Souls-like experience from top to bottom. There are attempts to stand out, but other than the story, they don't have the impact that really leaves a positive impression in a player's mind. The Last Oricru takes some risks, some of which pay off and some that don't. It's perfect for those who like their Souls-like games to have a good story, but if you're not a fan of the genre, you're better off staying away.
Outcast – A New Beginning presents an exciting adventure into the planet of Adelpha. While the innovative combat and environmental interactions are fun, the game is too similar to other open-world RPGs to truly stand out. Exploring Adelpha in its entirety is also challenging because several bugs hamper your progress, sometimes even crashing your game. The game may not break the barrier into greatness, but you can still easily have a good time if you look past the flaws.
Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters has some stumbles on the Switch. The frame rate can drop, multiple endings are hard to find, and the intricacies of combat pass you by. But if you give the game a chance, you will find a story that occasionally moves you while entertaining you with light-hearted humour. It's not a story that stands out because it's special, but because it's easily accessible and funny. The game is inviting even if you haven't played other games in the franchise. You might have to work harder to understand and spend more time on the mechanics, but it's an adventure well worth the investment.